We met our cycling friends Bob and Catherine for Cycle Oregon's Weekend Bike Camp. Two days with 85 and 65 miles rides where the organizers supply ice cream at the finish as well as music and a beer garden.

We stayed with Bob and Catherine in Oregon where we rode a bit and also got to see Cyclepedia at the Portland Art Museum. It's was a great show with many amazing and beautiful bicycles. There's even a book!

They also took us out for a ride along the Gorge, and it was beautiful and fun. It's impossible to not constantly be saying "wow!" and stopping for photos. We didn't even try, we just smiled a lot.

But wait, there's more! Bob and Catherine took us to their cabin in the shadow of Mt. Hood for some more riding. What's up with Oregon? How could it have so many beautiful places?

We even managed to get to Washington to see Tricia's son Jason, daughter-in-law Lea and grandson (really, she has a grandson,) Bishop. Of course, we rode bikes when we got there. Tricia liked riding with Bishop so much she came home and started shopping for a folding bike so she could fly up and ride with him more often. Do you have an opinion on Brompton folders?

We stopped off at Grants Pass, Oregon on the way home where Tricia made me — you guessed it — ride my bike some 18 miles before driving back to the beautiful Gateway to the Delta, Antioch.

Sunday, July 07, 2013

Cycling is about freedom, fun, being a kid, challenge, mobility and a zillion other cool things. It's also about stuff. Admit it. You like stuff. So do I. Unless bad things happen to my stuff.

Stuff 1

This is, or was, my new, or newish, tire. Alas, at the end of a hard set of intervals I was breathing too hard and hurting too much to notice the large chunk of glass in my path. The tire popped. I had a boot, but with a tear like this do I really want to be going down Diablo and have it fail? No, I do not. So, I threw my trie away. Money wasted. Oh well.

Stuff 2

White walls. Yep, I got white-wall tires to go with my white bike. They're pretty nice, but I feel a touch of guilt for caring. Still: Stuff. There you are.

Stuff 3

Due to, I think, a broken leg at a young age, my right foot points out just a bit. That makes my knee want to swing out on the upstroke, and also make my heel want to strike the crank arm. Bummer for me. But fortunately for me, my friend Lance Oldstrong has a funky left knee from some youthful fun. He discovered a product called Knee-Savers that is in essence a pedal extender. He only needs the left side, and has been generous enough (Thanks, Dan!) to give me the right side parts. It sure has made my pedal stroke less ugly, my cranks less scuffed and my leg not hurt. Stuff, is there anything you can't do?

Stuff 4

Not all cycling stuff is my stuff. Tricia has been hunting for the perfect saddle for a while now. After going through the stock models, she's tried a Terry Falcon, which she still uses on her trainer-bound bike. She tried a Selle Italia SLK and didn't hate it, but didn't love it either. So, after 16,000 miles she's giving a Specialized Oura a shot.

Stuff 5

Sometimes stuff is just stuff you see on the road. In this case, we're still working through bad puns, but just don't have the head for it. Feel free to post your own.